OC Adventure Series Book 1: Flames
by forgotten-sakura
Summary: Aang never managed to defeat Ozai and the Phoenix King prevailed. With their forces depleted and their allies locked up, the Gaang must find new friends who can help them bring down the Fire Nation. The only problem? All non-Fire Nation citizens are being locked up in the city-like prison that is Phoenix City. Submit an OC and follow them as they travel the world!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Here is the prologue to my new submit your own character fic. It is going to be a super long story as I have dropped all my other projects and will now be focusing on this story only. It will probably be more than 40 chapters depending on how long I make each segment. _

_I decided to change the ending of the series to better suit my story. In my fic, the Lion Turtle never met Aang. This resulted in his failure to learn energy bending and ultimately his inability to defeat Ozai. Ozai became the Phoenix King and Azula the Fire Lord. Aang didn't die though. Him and his friends managed to escape on Appa. _

xXx

By the time On Ji stepped out of her bedroom, she was transformed. She had washed her hair and bound it tightly to the top of her head in a bun, containing it in a tight-fitting light-knit hood. She had on her riding britches, her travel boots, and a long sleeved tunic over her undershirt. A black coal jacket and cloak hung from her shoulders. All her provisions were neatly distributed amongst the tiny pouches and bags that adorned her travel belt. On Ji was well-armed and well prepared for her looming journey.

Hide rose from his chair and met her eyes. He spared her from his typical litany of exhortations. _Stay off the common paths. Make sure your seed pouch is always on hand. Don't stray from the intended route unless you have to. _Alternatively, he just stared at her. His eyes were stricken and watery. His knuckles were white from clenching his fists.

He stood up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into one of his characteristic bear hugs. On Ji buried her face into his shoulder. Hide was trembling. He rested his chin on the top of her head, sighing as he held in his tears.

Although On Ji had never thought of Hide as her boyfriend, which was the façade they put up, she did think of him as her older brother. After all, it was his family that had taken her in as one of their own all those years ago. Had it not been for them, On Ji could have been a street rat, not a well-educated Fire Nation girl. Although his overbearing personality had often annoyed her in the past, On Ji did appreciate it. Hide was her protector and her pillar of support; he'd always been there for her. He helped her with her homework, taught her the Fire Nation ways, and never let anybody put her in a position where she'd get hurt. So, even though they weren't related by blood, On Ji's connection with him was as close as one would have with a true sibling.

He pushed her back and released her from his grip. Holding back his emotions, Hide took one long last look at his friend. He memorized her curves and her features, ingraining her image into his brain. _Brown hair. Brown eyes. Brown hair. Brown eyes. _Hide repeated those characteristics over and over again in his mind, memorizing the mantra that was On Ji. No doubt a lot of people had brown hair and brown eyes, but nobody had On Ji's brown hair and brown eyes. It terrified him that this could be the last time he ever saw her again. They had known each other for so long and now there she was, heading back to her homeland all on her own.

"Mom bought as many dried fruits from the market as she could," Hide told her. He reached for her arm and placed the cloth pouch in her outstretched hand, slowly folding her fingers over it. "Hopefully that should be enough to last you your entire trip."

On Ji smiled appreciatively and tied the sack to her belt. "It's plenty."

"I'm not sure if they'll taste as good after a while, but-"

On Ji cut him off mid-sentence as she pulled him into one final embrace. "I'll miss you, Hide."

Closing his eyes, he squeezed her as tight as he could. "I'll miss you too, On Ji."

A call from the kitchen interrupted the two and they quickly ran downstairs. Hide's parents waited patiently for them to file into the kitchen.

"Are you all packed?" Hide's father asked, his eyebrow raised.

"I am," On Ji replied confidently.

Hide's mother rose from the table, a concerned look plastered across her face. She circled On Ji, nitpicking at her lack of belongings. "That can't be all that you're bringing?" she questioned, shocked to see how little the girl was taking. "You'll need food rations, money, a blanket, a tent, and some good thick shoes for walking," she muttered, her tone the same one that all worried mothers had. "Oh! Perhaps you'll need a pillow!"

Hide's father hushed her and brought all her ramblings to a halt. "Travelling light is important," he told his wife, assuring her that On Ji would be perfectly fine. "She has enough money to purchase food along the way and the nights will probably be warm enough so that she doesn't need a blanket or tent."

"But-"

"She'll be fine," Hide's father comforted her. "On Ji will be alright."

On Ji nodded firmly. She'd been born in the Earth Kingdom but was raised in the Fire Nation. If anything, she was as strong and as determined as even the most patriotic Fire Nation people. She could hold her own, even if at first glance most people didn't think she could.

"We probably won't be here if you ever do return," Hide's father said. "I've been relocated to help establish Phoenix City. They need talented fire benders there to keep the new immigrants in order."

"I understand," On Ji replied.

"I don't want to," Hide's father assured her, knowing that he'd probably have to mistreat her people. "But Fire Lord Azula has ordered a dozen officials and an entire fleet to the new city."

"I know," said On Ji, accepting Hide's father's fate.

It had been several months since the end of the Hundred Year war. With the arrival of the comet, Fire Lord Ozai used its powers to destroy the Earth Kingdom and end the rebellion once and for all. He declared himself the Phoenix King and named his daughter as the next Fire Lord. Nobody knew what happened to the Avatar or his friends. The only thing anybody knew was that they were gone and that the world belonged to the Phoenix King.

He built Phoenix City, the legacy that would demonstrate to all the future generations his power and status over the other nations. It was a great city, but only for his citizens; for the rest it was a prison.

Upon its completion two months ago, Phoenix King Ozai ordered all Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe citizens to immigrate to the city. There, he could keep tabs on them and prevent any future rebellions from occurring. At first there was resistance, but thousands slowly made their way into the giant city after the Fire Nation military intervened. With threats of burning to death and the extermination of all discovered water and earth benders, families from all over packed up their belongings and obediently migrated to Phoenix City.

"Make sure you carry your Fire Nation passport with you at all times. You won't be picked up by the authorities then," Hide's father told her. "They're checking all water and earth migrants to make sure they're heading to Phoenix City."

"I will."

"And you can stay in Ba Sing Sei for a few days if you want," he suggested to her.

After Ba Sing Sei had been conquered and the war won, all the former residents were forced out and into Phoenix City. It was now a Fire Nation city like the majority of places once ruled by the other nations. Similarly, places like Omashu and the air temples were all popular tourist destinations or private homes.

"Okay."

"Remember, that passport is your key."

On Ji nodded. "My passport is my key."

**Hey guys! Okay, so this is going to be another submit an OC story. Please send me your character through a PM only. You can submit as many characters as you want but make them appropriate. I won't accept characters who bend frogs and stuff. Keep them reasonable and within the capabilities of the Avatar universe. This is not a first come first serve sort of thing. If you submit a character that I like, I'll put you on the list. Also, please submit a variety; I don't only need girls for the fic. **

**These characters will form a group alongside On Ji and will travel the world as well. They will be separate from the Gaang but will eventually cross paths. Like the Gaang, they are fighting to free the other nations and restore peace and balance to the world. If your character is evil, they will obviously have an antagonistic role in this fic. **

**Here is the OC skeleton:**

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Physical Appearance:**

**Clothes:**

**Nationality:**

**Bending (Only Aang is an air bender and can bend multiple elements):**

**History:**

**Personality:**

**Family:**

**Likes, dislikes, habits, fears:**

**Anything else I missed:**

**That is it! I hope you have a creative character for me! Send me the skeleton through a PM and I'll post the character list soon. If you have any questions let me know. Otherwise, enjoy and I look forward to seeing your characters!**

**P.S. Did you recognize On Ji?**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you like the first chapter. The parts are all sort of random but everybody is spread out and doing their own thing. The chapter layout is going to follow this sort of template until everybody meets up. Once they do, it will probably be one large chapter. So please bear with me for a while until I get them all together.**

Zaurios carefully scratched the place where his left arm used to be. It didn't hurt, not anymore at least. New skin had grown over the torn flesh years ago and formed a smooth stump. Still, sometimes it felt as if he was missing something, something important. At times he'd flex his right arm, remembering what it was like to do the same thing with his left. Below his left shoulder he had no feeling, nothing. At times he thought he felt his old wound tingle, but Zaurios quickly wrote it off as simple pins and needles. Now, tickle or no tickle, he'd scratch it subconsciously until the odd sensation disappeared.

"Are you going to eat that?" another prisoner asked, hovering over Zaurios' plate.

Zaurios glanced down at the unappetizing pile of slop on his plate and shook his head. The standard issue prison food just didn't seem to appeal to him that day. Maybe it was the brown coloring and the flies, or perhaps it was the fact that it had expired two weeks ago that made Zaurios not want to eat it.

"It's all yours," he smiled, pushing it aside. He knew that the other guy needed it more than he did. The older man thanked him and quickly shoveled it down his throat.

Eating quickly was important in the Phoenix City prison. Like clockwork, prisoners arrived in the cafeteria at sunrise and only had ten minutes to eat. Whatever they didn't finish went back into the pot to be served again at the next meal 6 hours later.

Nothing ever changed inside the prison; everybody followed the schedule to a T. Their day consisted of waking up, eating, and work. There was never any time to rest. Sometimes Zaurios missed the outside, the vast space beyond the huge metal prison and city walls. He missed reading, hanging out, and relaxing in any place that he wanted.

He wished he knew how to bend metal. If he did, he would rip down the wall and take back his freedom. There had been a rumor going around that a little girl travelling with the Avatar had learnt the technique. People said she could rip through metal like it was as thin as paper. Still, it was only a rumor and even Zaurios doubted its validity. It couldn't be true. Everybody knew that the Avatar and all his friends were gone. They'd lost to the Phoenix King and hadn't been seen since. For all he knew the Avatar was dead and they were doomed, but there was always still a chance that the airbender was still alive.

"Breakfast is over!" screamed the guard at the top of his lungs. "Back to your cells!"

The prisoners slowly rose from the wooden benches and filed out of the room. Slowly, they trudged across the prison and up the stairs. Their individual cells were located on the third floor. Below them, Water Tribe prisoners awaited their turn in the cafeteria.

"Hurry up!" the guard ordered, jabbing one of the men at the back of the line with his club. The man stumbled forward, tripping over his chained feet. He landed against the smaller child in front of him and crushed him against the metal staircase.

"Hurry! I'll heat the stairs if you don't move your asses," the guard repeated, clubbing the poor prisoners. They scrambled to their feet and joined the rest of the men as they walked up the staircase.

Threats of heating things were normal at the Phoenix City prison; the firebending guards practically said it every other minute. Since the prison was almost made completely of metal, they'd torch whatever they wanted with their bending. The staircase was a regular victim. The guard would heat up the metal steps until they were glowing red and would scald the prisoners' feet unless they quickened their pace. The same technique was used to keep them away from the cell bars and the fence that separated them from the female prisoners.

Zaurios made his way into his cell and heard the bars click into place behind him. He flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was dark and reminded him of the night sky. There were no stars or a moon, but the darkness made it seem endless.

"What day is it today?" asked the man in the next cell over. Zaurios rolled onto his side and rested his head on his arm.

"I think it's a Tuesday," Zaurios guessed. "Kai is on guard duty today."

"Oh yeah," the man remembered. Every few days the guards on duty rotated; on Mondays and Tuesdays it was Kai, Wednesdays and Thursdays were Rolve, and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays were covered by Sora.

"Kai is a pretty nice guard," the man said. "She is part of the Yuyan Archers."

"Is she?" Zaurios asked, surprised at how that man came across that information. From what he had gathered from observing her, Kai was anything but nice and sociable. He'd probably spoken to he only once and that was to ask for some water.

"Yep! Told me that herself," he grinned.

The two men had been living next to each other for months and yet Zaurios didn't know much about the man. They'd speak to each other on a regular basis, swapping stories and jokes. In Zaurios' opinion the guy was okay in his books. He was a smooth talking guy with a laid back attitude. Really, it didn't surprise him that the man was able to pull such personal information out of the girl.

"Aren't they usually for special missions?" Zaurios asked. He'd never met a Yuyan archer before but had heard things off the street. If anybody knew anything about something, street people were the best ones to ask. People often turned a blind eye on them, assuming the worst, and they often slipped by unnoticed. Never seen and never heard described them perfectly. They heard everything about everyone and were practically moving libraries.

"I think so," said the man. "She probably is; we just don't know about it."

"That's true," Zaurios agreed.

"Yep! Nothing gets in and nothing gets out."

xXx

"Have you ever done one of these before?" asked Sei, sharpening her arrowhead.

Kai shook her head. "This will be my first time; I just got stationed her a few weeks ago. How about you, how many executions have you done?"

Sei sighed, racking her brain for a couple of numbers. She'd done a few per week for about four months, making her total around 81. "I think I'm at around 80."

"Do they struggle?" Kai asked, looking up at the sky. They'd been given a thirty minute break before they had to get back to work and were spending it outdoors. The prison was like hell. It had no windows and poor ventilation, making the place like a giant sweatshop. Kai hated it. She liked to be outside where she could breathe some fresh air, not the body odor or thousands of prisoners who hadn't bathed in weeks.

"Only at the beginning when we drag them out of the cells. Sometimes they kick and swear," Sei told her. "Eventually they accept their fate though."

Kai nodded and watched a cloud as it passed over her head. It was small and moved quicker than the rest.

"I'm not exactly fond of killing the people," Sei confessed. "Sometimes it is hard to see them tied up just so that we can have target practice on them. I mean, how dangerous could they be if we just left them in jail?"

"No, they're dangerous either way," Kai said sternly, her head snapping back to look at Sei. "It's better to kill them while we can. They're criminals who jeopardize the safety of the Fire Nation and need to be eliminated."

Sei looked at her, shocked to hear such a cruel answer.

"Never stray from the target. Keep your focus and never let it out of your sight," Kai said dryly, repeating some words of the Yuyan archers that they'd all learnt back in training. "Don't ever forget it."

Kai headed for the door and pulled it aside. She glanced back at Sei, whose mouth was still sagging on the floor, and gave her a disappointed look. "I'm here in the service of our nation. With thoughts like that, it makes me wonder what you're here for," she said coldly, slamming the door shut behind her.

xXx

"It is so hot here!" Kioko huffed, pulling her brown hair up into a ponytail. Originally from the Northern Water Tribe, Kioko was definitely not accustomed to the heat of Phoenix City. She had been living in the city for about a month and still found the place scorching hot. Unfortunately, her job required her to wear a uniform and she wasn't permitted to change into something lighter. So for the time being Kioko was stuck wearing layers upon layers of dark Fire Nation fabric until she got home.

"Bring this to the Fire Lord," the head servant ordered, shoving the tray into Kioko's hands. The precious china rattled on the tray, its liquid contents splashing over the edges of the teapot. Kioko nodded respectfully and dashed off, carrying the tea and almond cookies away. She scurried through the palace in a swift and orderly fashion. Kioko had served Princess Yue before she turned and was fairly knowledgeable in how to attend to a high ranked lady. The Fire Nation protocol was a bit different from the Northern Water Tribe's, but the small changes weren't too difficult to learn and Kioko easily picked them up.

The girl weaved her way through the palace, dodging around corners and cutting through hallways. The new palace was huge; it was the largest building in the entire city. One could see it from the outer city wall, perched atop a hill in the center of the metropolis. From the outside it resembled a majestic palace; from the inside it was a complete maze.

Kioko had gotten lost in it once. She'd wandered down a smaller hallway and ended up in some random room. Actually, it wasn't so random. She knew exactly what kind of room it was but had no clue as to where it was. The place that she'd wandered into was a storage room. The only problem was that there were hundreds of storage rooms throughout the entire palace. After about twenty minutes of trying to retrace her steps, Kioko finally strolled into the main hallway. Luckily she hadn't been serving tea. If she had and was tardy, the head servant would have given her a good tongue lashing.

Kioko finally reached the top of the main staircase and entered into the Fire Lord's sitting room. It was bare. As warm as the red walls were, the lack of furniture made it feel lonely and cold. Spacious no doubt, but cold all the same. A single chair and wooden coffee table sat in the center of the room.

"Is that my tea?" demanded the girl in the chair.

"Yes, my Lord," Kioko said, strolling over to Azula. She placed the tray down on the table and poured the tea. Hot steam danced off the surface and disappeared into the air. She extended her hand and offered Azula the cup.

Azula took one look at her and frowned. Her eyes scanned her over, picking up on all the characteristics and features specific to the Water Tribes. "Ugh, get another girl to serve me," Azula ordered, swatting the cup away. "A Water Tribe girl shouldn't be serving me."

The cup shattered across the floor and the tea spilt everywhere. Kioko quickly dropped to her knees to clean it up but Azula stopped her.

"Leave it," she said sternly. "The other girl will clean it. Now get out of my sight."

Kioko nodded and rose to her feet. She picked up the tray and hurried out of the room.

"Stupid fifth," Azula muttered under her breath. "You all disgust me."

**A/N: I am only going to use five original characters in this story. I find that when people include a lot of OCs in their stories that they eventually lose focus and abandon the fic. So, to avoid that, I am only going to write about five of them. This way I will actually get to develop them as characters. They won't just get one chapter about them and then won't ever be mentioned again. I hate when authors do that and I won't let myself do it. Each one of the five main characters will get lots of chapter time and won't be a onetime thing.**

**The five protagonists are:**

**Kai – submitted by sparrhawk**

**Brand – submitted by Mastermind416**

**Zaurios – submitted by KingOfStories01**

**Kioko – submitted by Shevamp**

**On Ji – created by the ATLAB creators but interpreted by me**

**Brand and On Ji will be featured in the next chapter as they aren't in Phoenix City. **

**SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED! Thank you for all your OCs. If your character isn't a top 5 OC they may make appearances throughout the story.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Water! Water! Get your water here!" Brand called out, his vocal advertisements echoing across the square. "Cold and close! Nothing else tastes better on a hot day!"

Several children glanced his way, their eyes filled with desire for a single taste of the liquid heaven. But they soon moved on, dragging their feet in defeat as they trudged away. Water was expensive and way beyond their price point. A bucket would cost them a week's pay, which they needed for food. If they wanted a drink they'd have to steal from Brand's supply, which was nearly impossible. That, or they'd have to pickpocket one of the cocky rich Fire Nation children whose favourite pastime was flaunting their parents' wealth in the faces of the poor.

So far there were no takers, which didn't surprise Brand. Most people moving through Ba Sing Se were on their way to Phoenix City and were tight when it came to finances. Sighing, Brand heaved the heavy water barrel onto his wooden cart. Three years ago the task was nearly impossible; now he'd gotten used to it and could pick up the barrels as if they were empty.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Brand looked to the sky. He shielded his eyes from the burning sphere and felt its invisible fire hammer his skin. There hadn't been a drop of rain for nearly 5 months and the drought was taking its toll on the citizens. The once plentiful springs and rivers were running dry, taking away the fish, life, and benefits that once accompanied them. Now, the simple task of fetching water for dishes was tasking. One would have to make a six day trip to fill the buckets, which was taxing and tiring. However, it had to be done whether anyone wanted to do it or not, which was how Brand made his money.

Every other week Brand made the trip. He would pack up his cart with empty barrels and would trek all the way to a specific spring. It was well hidden and Brand was certain that no others knew about it. Quickly, he'd take as much water as he could carry and would return back to the city, ready to reap his monetary rewards.

The Fire Nation citizens were his usual cliental. As the only ones could afford to purchase the water instead of fetching it themselves, they usually visited his travelling establishment every other day like clockwork. Luckily for Brand, they seemed oblivious to his gradual cost hikes. Still, even if they did notice they didn't care. What was one silver piece to a person who owned thousands?

"I'll take a small bucket, please," an unfamiliar voice asked, catching Brand by surprise. It was a soft voice, barely audible to anyone without sharp hearing. Had he been yelling like before, Brand would have most definitely missed the potential sale.

"That'll be one silver coin," Brand said, positioning a small bucket underneath the barrel. He carefully uncorked it and watched as water slowly emptied into the container below. "Two if you want to keep the bucket."

The girl shook her head and dug into her pocket. After rummaging around for several moments, a single silver coin emerged in her hand, glimmering in the sunlight. She handed it to the young salesman along with her water sack from under her jacket. He obliged and poured the water into the skin, filling it until it bloated. She thanked him politely and tipped her straw hat in appreciating, snatching the skin from Brand and reattaching it to her hip.

"Thanks for the business," Brand said as the girl departed. She nodded silently and went on her way, disappearing down one of the side streets up ahead.

He quickly tucked the silver coin into his pocket and shoved the cork back into its hole.

xXx

Parched, On Ji took a sip from her water skin and felt the liquid glide down her throat. It felt nice, cool, and refreshing, just like she'd expected. She normally didn't frequent water stations as their prices were unbelievably high, but she needed to stock up and there was no stream in sight. Closing the cap, she sealed the bag and reattached it to her travel belt.

She readjusted it until it fit snug around her waist and rested comfortably on her hips. For On Ji, her belt was sitting in the last hole. It had previously belonged to Hide and she kept it close at all times. It was one of the few things that Hide gave her before their separation and On Ji vowed to treasure it forever. Unfortunately, it was a little bit too big and had to be constantly reefed tight just so that it would fit.

"Now, where to next?" On Ji wondered. She'd been in the city for a few weeks now and hadn't seen more than probably one eighth of it. The former great city of Ba Sing Se was just too vast for one person to explore by herself. There were thousands of streets and buildings that wound themselves into a maze and she frequently got lost in it. The problem was that there were so few landmarks to mark one's path with. Only a select few buildings and streets stood out from the rest, who were mostly run down after their residents were forced to leave. Unfortunately, they were spread out throughout the city and could be used as nothing but to determine whether a person was facing north or south.

One of such landmarks was the palace. Once a grand symbol of strength and stability, the Earth King's home now served the Fire Nation. It had no concrete designation as to what it was supposed to be used for, but grand scale meetings were typically held there. Sometimes there were festivals worshipping the Fire Gods, or lavish parties for the elite of the conquering nation. Either way, it was nothing like it had been before in its former glory. Instead of the green tapestries that hung from the palace walls, new bright red ones took their place. Large Fire Nation flags and propaganda covered the palace from head to toe to demonstrate their power.

On Ji turned a corner and strode down a street. She was currently on the lower ring of the city but was staying on the middle one. Knowing that she needed to make her back to her hotel, she started to get on her way. It was only the middle of the day but On Ji knew that it would take her some time to get back. Knowing her and her lack of a sense of direction, it would probably take her three times longer to find someplace than any other person. Still, On Ji didn't mind. She had done what she needed to do and was satisfied with her accomplishments of the day.

xXx

"UGHHHHHH!" hollered Sokka, scraping the poop off his shoe with a giant wooden stick.

"Sokka!" Aang cried. "That's my staff!"

"That was my only pair of shoes that I had left and now it has poop on the bottom of it," Sokka complained, tossing Aang back his staff. He briskly turned to the animal responsible and frowned. "Appa, why do you go wherever you felt like going."

"He can't help it," Katara replied calmly. "When he has to go he has to go." She carefully shoveled a pile into a wheelbarrow.

"But did he have to go right there," Sokka whined, dragging his shoes on the grass. "Couldn't he have gone somewhere else?"

"There isn't another place for him to go. Since we're stuck here for a while, we'll just have to deal with it," Aang said, scooping up a pile as well.

"Hey," interjected Toph. "I don't know what you're all complaining about. It's not like picking up poop is all that difficult."

"That's because you're just covering it with clumps of rocks," Aang sighed, earning him a grin from Toph.

"Well Twinkletoes, at least I'm doing my part," she retorted, slamming another giant bolder on top of a tiny pile of poop, flattening it to the ground. "See, I'm done doing my section."

xXx

"Twenty silver coins, exact change," Kenji said, handing over the money to Brand.

"Thanks," Brand replied, hauling three of his heavy barrels onto the ground.

"You're very welcome. It's so nice to have a travelling water station willing to visit us here at the zoo," Kenji smiled gratefully. "After the war nobody comes here anymore."

"Really?" Brand asked in an interested tone. He really didn't care much for small talk but didn't mind entertaining the man for a while.

"Yeah. The poor can't afford to come visit, the rich Fire Nation citizens already own many exotic animals, and the rest just packed up and left. Only myself, my helpers, and you ever come here," Kenji told him. "But I don't mind. As long as there is a place for the animals I am happy."

"That's good. You're lucky to have people helping you out. I'm pretty much on my own," Brand said.

"Oh yes! The group is wonderful and get along great!"

xXx

"Don't yell at him, Sokka!"

"Why not? He is the one who did it!"

"He can't help it! You can't blame it on him!"

"Yeah Sokka, don't yell at Twinkletoes."

"Stay out of this Toph!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Don't make me doing anything I don't want to."

"You can try, but I doubt anything will happen."

"Umm, is everything alright?" asked Kenji as he arrived in the place where Appa was being held. A cloud of dust surrounded the area as the young teenagers rolled around on the ground.

**Hey guys! Sorry for not posting in a really long time. However, winter break has now started and I am excited to be able to get back to writing. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you when I post next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is the new chapter! Hopefully I still have some readers after my long absence.**

Kai gritted her teeth upon hearing the young prisoner's screams, his father's cries, and his brother's shouts. It was that time again, executions, and Kai hated it. At first she thought she wouldn't, but the painful yelps were slowly cracking the thick wall she'd spent so long putting up. Kai was, however, grateful that she hadn't gotten the call yet. Only the fact that she hadn't been summoned to perform her first slaughter kept her sane. She was only a guard. She was only a girl. She wasn't a murderer. Yet.

"Is he gone yet?" a dry voice asked from behind her. She'd been standing in front of an occupied cell, silently watching the other prisoner's body become engulfed in flames.

"Almost," she whispered quietly. Kai didn't turn around to face the person on the other side of the bars. No, she stood at attention with her small back facing him. "It'll only be a few minutes now though."

Zaurios nodded and slumped back down on his bed. Except for the amber glow coming from the public burning on the level below, his cell was dark. Deep in the corners it was almost pitch black. And, lying on the hard slab that was his bed, Zaurios' retreated into the darkness that soon shrouded over him. "Do you know his prison number?" Zaurios asked.

"1345," Kai mumbled, unaware of what she was saying. She was so engrossed in watching the execution that she paid little heed to the prisoner's frivolous questions. But Zaurios wasn't so oblivious. No, he was collecting important information.

"I'm 1512," he whispered under his breath. It was so quiet that even Kai would find his small personal conversations inaudible. "Not so many more left to go."

Fixated on the burning, Kai watched in horror. She never dared to show it, but she was disgusted by the act. The boy was certainly dead now and no longer in pain, but the method of execution had certainly left a bad taste in her mouth. His body, now charred black, was lying in a heap on the center of the floor for all to see. His hair was gone and his face no longer recognizable, and Kai wondered exactly who he was. To her he'd been just a number branded onto a sack of skin, but to someone else he'd been someone. He'd been someone's son, someone's brother, somebody important to another.

"Excuse me," Zaurios' voice asked again, snapping her back from her reverie.

"What?" she snapped back coldly. "What is it?"

Zaurios paused for a second, hesitant to ask her. Finally, he figured that he might as well ask. "What happened to the man in the cell next to me? Can you please check on him?"

Kai turned and poked her head into the cell next door. It was empty except for a few things the man had left behind. There was nothing but a few scraps of garbage, and Kai brushed it off. "I'm not sure," she said. "When did you last see him?"

"Earlier this morning. He was at breakfast but never came up to his cell," Zaurios said.

"He's probably just doing some chores for another guard," Kai guessed, returning to her post.

She found it odd that she was speaking so much; usually she didn't say a word. She just stood silently in front of cells 1500 to 1515, walking up and down the row from time to time if her feet started to hurt. But today was different. For some reason, which she didn't know, she was having a full blown conversation with a prisoner. She even stooped so low as to obey one of his commands. Perhaps the execution was distracting her, she wondered, morphing back into her serious self.

"I guess so," Zaurios said. He didn't want to accept Kai's vague answer, but he really didn't have a choice.

Lying back in his bed, Zaurios contemplated life. He'd been in prison for a while now and knew it was only an amount of time before he'd suffer the same fate as the man downstairs. But Zaurios didn't want that. Nobody did. He wanted to breathe fresh air, travel the world, and perfect his bending. He would die to find somebody to teach him how to bend clay, mold dirt, and sculpt the earth's crust into anything he wanted. But Zaurios knew. He knew that all of that was so far away. All of that was over the walls of the prison. All of that had been lost when the Avatar and his friends had perished.

Kai tapped her foot in boredom against the floor. She hated her job and regretted getting chosen to be one of the guards for the new prison. All she did was stand here, stand there, guard this, guard that. In reality, she didn't even know what she was supposed to be doing. The place didn't even need her. The prison officers downstairs had everything under control yet insisted that she suffered.

"So, what are you in for?" Kai asked quietly, hoping that the other guards wouldn't hear her initiating a conversation with one of the supposed 'criminals'.

Zaurios raised his brow. Had Kai really just asked him something? He sat up quickly and looked in her direction. She still had her back to him but was waiting patiently for his response. "The usual. Just being an earth citizen."

"That's it?" Kai asked in surprise. "You're not some terrorist or something?"

"Nope," Zaurios said. "I was just roaming the streets when the Fire Nation picked me up."

"They had to have had a reason," Kai insisted. "The Fire Nation wouldn't just snatch random people up off the street. You must be a bender."

"No," Zaurios lied. He knew all too well what revealing his abilities would do to him. He would be tortured and then killed in less than two days. It happened to all benders that the Fire Nation sniffed out. "I was just minding my own business and they grabbed me."

"Are you sure?"

"How could I not be?"

Xxxxx

"Hurry! Hurry!" the lady hollered in alarm, calling for Kioko at the top of her lungs. "It's crying again!"

Panicking, Kioko hurried over to the crib with a tray of baby food. The baby, a porcelain skinned prince, sat teary-eyed in the center of his enclosure, screaming at the top of his lungs. Quickly, Kioko placed his dinner down on the stone floor and scooped him up into her arms.

"It's alright little Phoenix Prince," she cooed, rocking him back and forth in her arms. He screeched once again in her ear and Kioko grimaced. Still, she continued to move him side to side in hopes of calming him down. He drooled on her shoulder but she paid little heed. "Don't cry."

His mother on the other hand, the new Phoenix Queen, was more unsettled than her child. She was pacing back and forth in worry, working up a sweat in her layers and layers of royal clothing. "Is he sick? Is he hungry? Jeez servant, what is wrong with him?" she screamed, firing question after question at poor Kioko.

Frustrated but not willing to show her feelings, Kioko suppressed her anger. She absolutely hated the incompetent Phoenix Queen, but anything was better than working under Fire Lord Azula. At least here, besides the constant diapers needing to be changed and the screaming mother, Kioko was considered something more than shit, which Azula had so often called her. So Kioko put up with it. At least she got paid and wasn't in one of the prisons. In fact, compared to many others she had a pretty good life.

"He's just hungry," Kioko said, putting the baby back into his crib. He'd stopped crying long enough for her to shovel a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

"That's good," the Queen sighed in relief. She never knew what the child wanted when he threw a fit and always panicked when he did.

The Phoenix Queen was certainly not meant to be a mother. She couldn't cook, clean, or even manage to take care of herself half the time. How could anyone, even Kioko, expect her to take care of a child? But she had insisted. She wanted to please the Phoenix King with another child, one as strong and passionate as Azula. So, despite the large age gap between the royal married couple, they conceived a little boy. But he was no Fire Lord, or general, or soldier. No. He was a sickly child born too fragile to do anything. Which, as expected, caused the Phoenix King to toss him aside along with his mother.

"Would you also like to eat, my Queen?" Kioko asked, setting down the Queen's meal on one of her dinner tables.

"I would," she replied. She sauntered over to Kioko and took a seat at the table. Kioko served her the meal as gracefully as possible and then stepped back. The Queen eyed the many dishes and smiled. "Did the Phoenix King ask for my favorite dishes to be made?"

Kioko shook her head sadly. She knew how much the Queen wanted to impress the King. She had blindly agreed to marry him, thinking him a kind man betrayed by his wife, but was shocked to find him the exact opposite. He had used her and then tossed her aside. Now she was a lonely woman, detested by the Phoenix King, hated by the Fire Lord, and disrespected by the general palace staff for no longer having the King's favor. "I'm sorry my Queen. He did not."

"Oh," she sighed. "He is busy. Of course he wouldn't have time for such trivial things."

Kioko said nothing and stood silently beside the Queen as she ate. Even Kioko, who was a persecuted citizen from the Northern Water Tribe, felt bad for the lonesome Queen. She had married a monster and walked into his cave unprepared. At least Kioko knew what she was doing. She'd walked in, but she hadn't walked in blindly.

**So what did you think? Let me know with a review!**


End file.
